Candle

Believe it or not, Ke$ha and candles have something in common. Nest has released a collection of three candles, aptly dubbed the After Midnight Collection, that were inspired by the pop rock singer's tune "Take It Off." The candles are separate in both scent and time of night, spanning from One O'Clock to Two O'Clock to, my favorite, Three O'Clock ($34). A scent labeled "Exotic Woods," Three O'Clock has notes of sandalwood, warm amber, frankinscense, and smoldering embers. The candle burns for 50 hours and, when lit, releases a scent that is both heart racing and soothing at the same time. Strike a match and slip into something a little more comfortable . . .

Yes, we have already discovered a candle that smells just like Fall, but if amber-scented ambiance isn't your thing, you might like Stark Waxing Studio's Cactus Flower candle ($24) instead. With ingredients that inspire autumnal thoughts, including ginger and Frankincense, it has a clean, earthy quality. But something about the way this soy wax-based candle is mixed up also brings to mind those citronella candles you burn during the warmer-weathered months. You can call it the perfect marriage of these crisp, albeit contrasting, back-to-back seasons. And with the coldest season of them all fast approaching, this candle provides the perfect way to gear up for some cozier times ahead.

A fancy new flame designed to fill your home with the scent of the Gray Lady herself is now available for newspaper lovers and candle aficionados alike. The Times of New York candle ($65) was conceived by artist Tobias Wong as both a tribute to The New York Times and a commentary on the current state of print media. It's a woody but interesting-sounding scent, redolent of cedar, musk, spices, and "a powdery note and velvet nuance," which is supposed to smell like old-fashioned printer ink.

It's an interesting concept, and certainly as a piece of art it hits close to home for those of us who hold the printed word sacred, but do you think you'd be interested in giving it a smell?

Here's an elegant idea: a calendar composed of scents. Luxe Paris perfume brand Quintessence has just introduced Le Calendrier Olfactif 2011 ($727), which comes with a wall calendar and a specially designed fragranced candle for each month of the year. Each candle is supposed to reflect the month it stands for, and each was concocted by a different artist, ranging from designers like Azzedine Alaïa to hair master Frédéric Fekkai. It's an absolutely gorgeous concept, though laughably out of my price range. But as a belated holiday gift or a housewarming present, coming up with an olfactory calendar of your own could be a fun and thoughtful gift. If you were making one of these, what would you have different months smell like?

Have someone with expensive, slightly macabre sensibilities on your holiday shopping list? Then this Moleta Munro x Koff candle ($83) may be right up their alley. It might seem a bit depressing, but skulls have been used by artists and philosophers as objects of thought and memento mori for millenia now. Would you consider letting your slightly goth loved one light this baby up and reflect upon their mortality?

Love White Castle sliders so much that you wish your entire home was redolent of them? Well, consider it granted, you burger meister, because the hamburger chain has come out with its own scented candle ($10). It promises to waft you away on a cloud of "steam-grilled-on-a-bed-of-onions scent." I can see this thing selling well as a gag gift — emphasis on gag — or a collectible piece of kitsch. But do you think there are really people out there who feel relaxed and happy when their house smells like onions and beef? I'm guessing no.